


The Shield

by greygerbil



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Post-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 18:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14816786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greygerbil/pseuds/greygerbil
Summary: When Noctis, Prompto, Ignis and Gladio get stuck in a cave after a fight with a behemoth as they wait for a storm to blow over, Gladio makes sure everyone is comfortable.





	The Shield

**Author's Note:**

> This is a post-timeskip, All Bros Live AU.
> 
> For Gladio Fluff Week, Day 5: Rained In OR Protection

“Doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.”

Noctis peered up at the tumultuous sky above. Gladio was right. Giant black clouds piled on top of each other, with lightning strikes twitching like bright cobwebs across them, thunder cracking loud enough to deafen. The rain came down in sheets. They were close enough to Insomnia that he could see the city walls as shadows in the distance, half rebuilt as they were, but making it there in this weather would be a hassle. They had come out here to fight a massive behemoth that had been terrorising travellers on the southern road and that battle had left them out of curatives, with Noctis already nursing a broken foot they couldn’t do anything about right now, which slowed them down. There was also a sizeable Voretooth population around the city that they’d have to deal with, which was another argument in favour of making sure they at least had a clear view in all directions when they continued on their way back.

“I suppose we should retreat a little further into the cave if we plan to rest here,” Ignis said. “We’ll only get wetter at the entrance, and the draft is rather strong.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Prompto rubbed his naked arms. “I’m freezing!”

“You shouldn’t have worn just a shirt,” Gladio said, rolling his eyes.

“It looked nice out until half an hour ago! Besides, look who’s talking! I remember a time when you never wore anything but pants and shoes.”

Noctis had to grin. “He’s got you there.”

Gladio snorted.

“Actually makes him look worse if even _I_ remembered to put my uniform on,” he said. However, he was undoing the buttons of his jacket and then chucked it at Prompto. “Here. Feel lucky I don’t get cold easily.”

Prompto caught the jacket with both hands. “Oh... seriously?”

“Don’t worry about it. Now, I’m gonna carry Noct. Ground’s too slippery to have you hopping on one foot between us here.”

“I can try to support myself on the wall...”

“That seems an unwise idea,” Ignis cut in, immediately.

It probably was. He couldn’t even stand on the foot. Still, he had been much worse at many other times in his life and had stubbornly pushed on without becoming a burden on his comrades, who had already had their hands full trying to pave a way through whatever the latest carnage they had ended up in had been. Perhaps those were the true spoils of peace at last, Noctis thought to himself: that his husband could afford to waste his strength on making Noctis comfortable instead of struggling to merely keep him alive.

“Put me down if I get too heavy,” Noctis said.

“Shrimp like you? Yeah, not likely. You haven’t grown that much in the Crystal.”

Gladio knelt before him, back turned to Noctis, and he wrapped his arms around Gladio’s broad neck. Gladio pushed his arms under Noctis’ knees and hoisted him up. He made it seem pretty easy.

“Comfortable, your Highness?”

“You know, you used to complain that I was spoiled,” Noctis said, looping a strand of Gladio’s long, dark hair around his finger. “Don’t you think you’re part of the problem?”

“He always has been,” Ignis said, amused. “Perhaps Prompto can scout ahead. We all know how much you love caves, Prompto.”

With a shudder and a pout, Prompto pulled Gladio’s oversized jacket tighter around his shoulders.

“If a Naga snatches me, you can blame Iggy!” he reminded them as he took the lead. Noctis could feel Gladio’s back move with quiet laughter.

They had only walked for a short while when Gladio slowed. Noctis had been squinting ahead into the dark illuminated by the small lamps attached to their jackets, but noticed now as Gladio turned that Ignis had fallen back.

“You okay there, Iggy?” Gladio asked.

“Yes, quite. The echoes here are just particularly distracting. Must be the shape of the tunnel.”

“Don’t have a hand free right now, but you can take my arm,” Gladio offered.

“That might be the simplest solution.”

Gladio turned to meet up with him halfway, and Ignis squeezed his hand between Noctis’ knee and Gladio’s elbow.

“Apologies for intruding,” he said with half a smile.

“You’re forgiven,” Noctis answered, briefly dragging his fingertips over the back of Ignis’ neck.

“Hey, why am I the only one not hanging off Gladio now? That’s not fair,” Prompto said playfully. He threw a longing gaze over his shoulder.

“You got the jacket!” Noctis argued, grinning.

“Not the same thing!”

Noctis had made use of a centuries-old and forgotten harem law to marry all three of his lovers. It had gotten him a lot of odd looks from the newly elected leaders of Altissia and the remains of Niflheim, but it was in moments like this, so full of familiar affection, that he remembered why he gave so little of a damn despite the fact that every diplomatic connection was precious these days.

“This place looks okay. I can’t feel the wind here,” Prompto said from around a bend in the cave. As Gladio turned the corner, Noctis saw Prompto standing in a small stone alcove.

“That could do for a few hours,” he agreed.

Gladio got down on one knee and Prompto knelt at his side to offer a hand so Noctis could slide off his back without hitting his foot on anything. Ignis and Prompto settled down beside him, but Gladio stood again.

“Stay here. I’ll look around a bit to make sure we’re not in a Voretooth nest,” he said, pulling his sword from the armiger.

“Be careful,” Ignis cautioned.

“You know me.”

“Yes, I do,” Ignis said with a sigh.

Gladio flipped him off over his shoulder. Noctis didn’t mention it to Ignis. He was sure Ignis knew.

Noctis allowed Prompto to help pull off his boot, groaning with pain, and Ignis to press on the swollen ankle. There were some traditional remedies in the armiger still and Ignis wrapped his foot with a bandage to keep it steady until Noctis could have an elixir at home.

Prompto had just been about to go looking for Gladio when he returned, without any scrapes to indicate a meeting with a Voretooth, but carrying an armful of twigs and broken branches.

“Cave has another entrance down the way blocked by a fallen tree. I figure we can make a fire with this. It’s still dry.” He glanced at Noctis’ bandaged foot. “How are you doing, king?”

“It’s broken, but Ignis’ prognosis is that I’ll survive,” Noctis answered.

“In that case, got any magic to get the fire started?”

Noctis watched Gladio pile the wood and Prompto gather up stones to surround their campfire. Leaning forward, he flicked sparks at the wood that immediately caught on the brittle material.

“If we have a fire and there is no wildlife here, perhaps we could dry our clothes,” Ignis suggested. “It’ll certainly be better than waiting to catch a cold under all this damp cloth.”

“No way, it’ll be way too cold,” Prompto protested.

“Pile on top of me like you used to when we were all out camping,” Gladio said with a shrug. “It’ll be just like old times.”

Prompto looked like he enjoyed that thought, though maybe not just for the promise of warmth.

It was true that Gladio had always run hot – one of the reasons he himself felt so averse to shirts, Noctis suspected, because how else could he not be shivering cold running around without a top in every weather? Either way, it made forming piles a good way to warm up when there was an initial heat source to leech off of.

They got rid of jackets and pants in the twilight of the fire and arranged them just close enough so that they weren’t likely to burn, then built a blanket to lie on out of their mostly dry shirts. Prompto was the first to sidle up to Gladio and Noctis climbed on top of his Shield. Ignis took Gladio’s left side.

“I had hoped once I had a throne we were past having to rely on body heat and bonfires for warmth,” Noctis said, as he rested his head on Gladio’s naked chest, peering up at the proud eagle on his shoulder. Gladio was holding one of their husbands in each arm, cradling them protectively against himself, and pressing them towards Noctis in the process.

“Your kingship has been a pretty unusual one start to finish, hasn’t it?” Gladio gave back. “This isn’t too bad, all things considered.”

“We have certainly had worse nights,” Ignis said quietly.

The crackling of the fire eating away at the wood, the damp smell of the cave, the sting of the smoke in his eyes, and Gladio’s chest raising and falling all did their part in making Noctis comfortably dazed and boneless after a while. He could feel Prompto’s arm growing slack around his hip. It had been a long day, so he couldn’t blame him for dozing off. Even ever-attentive Ignis was eventually asleep with his head on Gladio’s shoulder.

“You can go to sleep, too. I’ll keep an eye out,” Gladio said quietly.

“I never tell you enough that you are a great Shield,” Noctis said.

The protection in battle was one thing, sure, but it was also the habitual ease with which Gladio looked out for Noctis and their loved ones. Knowing Gladio was by his side erased so many concerns Noctis would otherwise have had to shoulder.

Gladio smiled tightly.

“I feel like I wasn’t much of a Shield at all back in the day. Since I got the chance to make up for it now, I’m sure not going to waste it.”

Noctis leaned up to kiss him on the mouth.

“You say that like I used to be an inspiring monarch,” Noctis answered. “We were always well-matched. That’s why we always needed each other – we were both still learning. I don’t think it ruined us that we got into a few fights.”

“I should have done better, anyway.”

“I never knew that still bothered you,” Noctis said, thoughtfully.

“Of course it does. You vanished for a decade days after our last fight. We never really had a chance to even talk.”

Chuckling, Noctis looked up at him.

“You think we’d have talked? Us ten years ago?”

Gladio had to huff a quiet laugh. “We could’ve gotten drunk playing cards together, at least.”

“If you still need that closure, we can do it now,” Noctis offered. “But I already know that you’re perfect for me – for us.”

Gladio smiled at him as Noctis leaned their foreheads together.


End file.
